Chapter 1

In June 2020, in Mengla County, Yunnan Province.

The sky was overcast, with thunder but no rain, making the weather very strange.

A black Toyota Camry was parked at the foot of a desolate mountain, thirty kilometers southeast of the county town.

"This must be the place," the young man said as he got out of the car, looking up at the mountain peak shrouded in dark clouds, his face grave.

The young man stood at the foot of the desolate mountain. Although it was his first time there, he felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had been there before.

He walked straight up the mountain path. The mountain wind howled, making the branches sway. The sky grew even darker, and it was about to rain.

Just before the heavy rain, the young man entered an abandoned temple halfway up the mountain. The temple's walls had collapsed, and the courtyard was overgrown with weeds, clearly having had no visitors for a long time.

The door of the temple's main hall was open. The young man walked in and saw a wooden statue inside, its face sharply carved and lifelike, bearing a striking resemblance to him.

The young man looked at the dilapidated temple and the forgotten hero, and called out, "Prince Jin!"

At the sound of his voice, lightning and thunder immediately struck outside, and heavy rain poured down, the sky suddenly turning as dark as night.

In the village below, an old farmer saw the commotion on the mountain and was not surprised, "The Yin soldiers are crossing the border again."

In the young man's astonished gaze, a surprising scene unfolded inside the temple. A group of ancient soldiers, dressed in purple-flowered armor, wearing iron helmets, and carrying muskets, suddenly appeared in the courtyard.

They stood in neat rows, exuding a fierce aura. A flag with the sun and moon fluttered in the wind.

The sky was pitch black, and heavy rain poured outside, but not a single drop fell in the courtyard, as if it were in a different world.

"Your Highness!" A general in iron armor shouted loudly, "The Zhongwu Camp has been ordered to hold the rear, with no casualties. We welcome Your Highness back."

The ancient soldiers, their faces glowing, knelt in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized, creating a bizarre scene.

The young man took two steps back, his eyes moist with disbelief, unsure if it was an illusion.

For 360 years, the Ming Dynasty had long since fallen. Could it be that the spirits of these soldiers had been waiting here all alone, waiting for their Prince to lead them to reclaim their homeland?

The young man's eyes were moist, blurring his vision. He rubbed his eyes, and when he looked again, the general and the soldiers bowing in the courtyard had disappeared.

This was a mirage, but he had clearly seen and heard it.

The young man looked up, and the dark clouds on the mountain peak had dissipated. A ray of sunlight shone on the temple, and a rainbow appeared in the sky, as if it were a passage to heaven.

"The Qing are gone, rest in peace!" the young man murmured, looking at the rainbow.

...

At the foot of the desolate mountain, the black car and its driver were still there.

The young man opened the rear door and got in, "Driver, let's go back!"

The driver was a Northeastern man. He put away his phone and grumbled, "What's so interesting about a broken temple? Making me wait so long, you have to pay extra!"

The young man's face darkened, "That's the temple of the anti-Qing hero Li Dingguo!"

The Northeastern man was indifferent and didn't notice the young man's displeasure, continuing to tease, "What era is this? We Manchu are part of China! Anti-Qing hero? Nowadays, that's called hindering ethnic integration."

"Stop the car!" the young man shouted angrily.

At that moment, a surprising scene appeared on the road. A flashing white ball of lightning descended from the sky, bouncing on the road. The driver slammed on the brakes, but the lightning ball quickly moved and entered the car.

That night, the Mengla County news reported that a murder had occurred on the road in Mangga Village, with both the driver and passenger mysteriously dead.

At the same time, in Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi, an old man who understood astronomy noticed a celestial phenomenon. The stars representing Greedy Wolf, Seven Killers, and Breaker, which had been dim for nearly a century, suddenly became bright, and the star representing the Purple Star Emperor also shone brightly.

...

The rise and fall of the world, from ancient times, has had its periods of prosperity and decline, order and chaos.

The reasons for order and chaos, prosperity and decline, are both human affairs and the will of heaven.

The order and chaos of the world follow a trend, but a single chance event can also change the course of fate.

In the spring of 1640, the thirteenth year of the Chongzhen era, there was no rain in Zhongzhou, and locusts had passed through, indicating another bad year.

In Dengfeng County, Henan Province.

At the foot of Mount Song, by the Ying River, the midday sun shone on the cracked riverbed.

At this moment, in a wheat field far from the riverbank, a strangely dressed young boy was lying in a ditch covered with weeds, his eyes fixed on a locust eating wheat sprouts.

Behind the boy were several other boys of the same age, all lying still like him.

"Master, it's time to act!" a dirty child reminded the boy.

The boy remained lying on the ground, waiting until a swarm of locusts landed, then suddenly stood up and shouted, "Children, attack the enemy!"

With that, the boy leaped up, holding a net to catch the locusts. His companions also picked up their homemade nets and rushed into the swarm, causing the locusts to scatter.

The boy's name was Gao Huan, the eldest son of the wealthy landowner Gao Youcai. As the eldest son of the current clan leader of the Gao family in Dengfeng, Gao Huan had been groomed by Gao Youcai to be his successor.

However, Gao Huan was different from others from a young age, with a particularly mischievous personality. He disliked reading and preferred to fight with children his age, especially organizing mock battles and taking the role of the general.

As he grew older, Gao Huan did not change his ways. He had none of the demeanor of a nobleman's son, wearing strange clothes, being arrogant and rude, and acting like a demon in the countryside. The Gao family members thought this young clan leader might have a problem and privately called him "Dengfeng's Big Fool."

In contrast, Gao Huan's half-brother, Gao Lian, had a completely different personality. He was diligent and well-mannered, and at a young age, he became a scholar in the county, deeply loved by the old landowner Gao Youcai.

Many clan members in the village also hoped that Gao Lian would inherit the clan leader position, so Gao Youcai left Gao Huan alone, allowing him to act like a wild child.

The children rushed into the locust swarm, swinging their nets clumsily to catch the locusts. Gao Huan quickly filled his net and then, like a general, commanded his companions in battle.

Soon, the locusts flew away, and the boys stood in a row, holding their nets, waiting for the general to inspect their results.

Gao Huan walked past them, seeing that each had caught some locusts, but none as many as he had. He smiled and said, "Well, Zhao Xian, Huang Ting, and Yang Yan caught the most, so they are promoted to deputy leaders. The rest, try harder next time and strive to achieve more."

The boys who received praise raised their heads, chests puffed out, feeling proud.

"But none of you can compare to me!" Gao Huan held up his catch, his face full of pride.

Just as he was gloating, a furious voice came from behind, "Big Fool, who told you to catch the locust god? You've caused a big disaster, do you know that?"

A man in his forties, leading more than ten men, rushed over, and the boys scattered like chicks but were quickly caught and beaten without a word.

The boys' faces were soon marked with red handprints, and the men snatched their nets, dumping the locusts out.

The locusts, once on the ground, scattered in all directions, and the boys were beaten until they cried.

Gao Huan, being the son of the clan leader, was not touched, but the man pointed at him and continued to scold, "You undisciplined brat, always causing trouble, you've disgraced the Gao family. Give me the net!"

This man was Wang Jiaping, Gao Huan's uncle, but not his mother's brother, rather his stepmother's brother.

Seeing the boys being beaten, Gao Huan pushed Wang Jiaping to the ground and shouted, "Stop! How dare you beat my soldiers? Are you tired of living?"

The men, seeing Gao Huan's anger, did not dare to offend him too much, as he was the son of the master.

Wang Jiaping, pushed to the ground, was taken aback, not expecting Gao Huan to push him today.

He got up, his face red with anger, and raised his hand to strike Gao Huan, "Big Fool, how dare you hit your uncle!"

Gao Huan grabbed Wang Jiaping's wrist and said coldly, "I don't have an uncle like you. My real uncle is long dead!"

The men of Dengfeng liked to practice martial arts. Gao Huan, disliking reading, was brave and fierce. At fourteen, he was already stronger than Wang Jiaping.

Wang Jiaping's face turned red. After all, he was not a member of the Gao family. As a servant, he could not hit Gao Huan in front of so many people, even though the old master did not like this son, but a young master was still a young master.

Wang Jiaping narrowed his eyes and finally let go, but he could not break free, which made him even angrier, "Big Fool, let go of me!"

Gao Huan snorted and released his grip. Wang Jiaping, using too much force, almost fell over.

"Mr. Wang!" Two men quickly supported him.

Wang Jiaping pushed them away, surprised by the boy's strength, which had surpassed his own.

"Fine! Fine! Big Fool, just wait! I'll tell the old master that you've offended the locust god and brought disaster to the village. See what the old master does to you!" Wang Jiaping pointed at Gao Huan and shouted, then led the men away.